A town that prays for something

Price: ¥687,500 (tax included)

Production year: 2024

Size: H80.3×W60.6×D6.0(cm)

Materials: 3 UV prints on acrylic boards, 1 UV print on PVC board, UV resin, glitter powder, holographic paper, frame (custom-made)

Edition: Unique piece (one of a kind)

Video taken from a distance

Video shot from close up

The thick frame has a semi-three-dimensional structure with a total of four layers - three acrylic plates with the picture printed on them, a PVC plate with the background printed on it, and holographic paper that changes appearance depending on the light reflected off it.

The line drawing of the person printed on the top acrylic plate has been given a glossy finish and thickened finish.

All parts inside the frame have been touched up with UV resin, so I hope you can also see the material expression and the physical phenomenon that occurs.

Thank you for visiting this work page. I am Shoko Hirose.

This exhibition is made up of works inspired by a phrase that a friend of mine once said.

"How can people who can cry at movies and dramas do terrible things to others without a second thought?"

This phrase succinctly expresses that humans are not perfect, that life and humans are not perfect like in fictional works such as movies and dramas, and that sometimes we do and are done to others worse than the "villain" ourselves.

My friend may have said it casually, but it is a phrase that still sticks in my heart.

For this exhibition, I was inspired by this phrase and came up with a story and created a work related to it.

I hope you will come and see it.

STORY

The setting is a near future where civilization has developed to the fullest.

Although there are differences in social status, people are living comfortably.

In the shadows, there are people who do "jobs that others do not want to do."

They are people who can no longer maintain their vital functions in an ethically correct way.

Officially, they are dead, but they are receiving "ethically incorrect" life-prolonging treatment and are living as "executors" doing "jobs that people don't want to do".

The executioners have their memories erased, and are forced to watch countless TV shows and movies and other creative works that are based on "correct ethics", thoroughly instilling "correct ethics" in them.

They are told that those who go against this are not worthy of living, and they work hard at their daily work "to protect peaceful days".

One day, after finishing her work, the executioner "Luka" picked up a book.

The book was titled "The Other Side of This World" and detailed information about the execution unit she belonged to and the women in it.

"Is what I'm doing really the right thing?"

She reported the doubts she had about the book to her superior, and was kicked out of the unit.

The reason was that if her doubts spread to others, there was a risk that the unit would lose control.

Unable to live in an "ethically correct way", she was living by regularly receiving "ethically incorrect" life-prolonging treatment.

Therefore, if she is kicked out of the facility owned by the unit, she will not be able to receive life-prolonging treatment and will only have 49 days to live.

The words that spill out of her mouth after she is kicked out of the facility.

"How can a person who sheds tears watching movies and dramas do such terrible things?"

These words were directed at the superior officer who kicked her out, and at herself, who has been responsible for burying people who have made "mistakes".

She travels in a "peaceful world" with "Lili", the monkey with whom she has been on many missions.

Although it is limited to 49 days, it will be her first, last, and best memory.

People probably live by clinging to something, like justice or God, though it's different for each person,

and maybe there was something I wanted to be forgiven for, but I forgot it a long time ago.

A part of the picture is glazed and raised.

It has been enhanced with UV resin.

There is a signature on the back of the work.

Data before printing

Picture printed on the first acrylic plate

Picture printed on the second acrylic plate

Picture printed on the third acrylic plate

Shoko Hirose

Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2018, majoring in oil painting. After working as a designer at a game company, I am an artist who works in the two fields of art and illustration.

Based on the concept of ”an approach to painting that can only be possible in this modern era where the boundaries between digital things and physical things are becoming blurred,”

I print digitally created data and then hand-paint it using drawing materials. I create painting works using a method of adding color and various other techniques.

I am also active as an illustrator under the name "Hirose", and I have also created illustrations for popular works such as domestic and international games, light novels, and “Hatsune Miku."

Career

2018 Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Painting, Major in Oil Painting Major

Exhibitions

2018 66th Tokyo University of the Arts Graduation and Completion Exhibition (Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Exhibition

2022 Solo exhibition “Life in a “PARALLEL” world” (Hankyu Men’s Tokyo)

2022 “Art Fair GINZA tagboat x MITSUKOSHI” (Ginza Mitsukoshi)

2022 WAVE2022 (3331 Arts Chiyoda)

2023 Hatsune Miku x Isetan (Isetan Shinjuku)

2023 CULTURE ART PARK 2023 (Daikanyama Tsutaya)

2023 Born New Art Vol.3 (Shibuya Scramble Square)

2023 Solo exhibition "[Departure] from Unreality: A Slumber's End" (Hanshin Umeda Main Store)

2024 ART OF MIKU (Shibuya, Sapporo Parco)

2024 GIRLS COLLECTION (Hanshin Umeda Main Store)

Award

2014 Selected for Tokyo Wonder Wall 2014

2018 Independent TOKYO 2018 Special Jury Prize

Collection

KDDI Corporation